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Rian Johnson's Star Wars Trilogy May Release In Two Years

Ram Bergman, Rian Johnson's producing partner, says the first installment of the director's Star Wars trilogy may release in two years time. After continuing the main Skywalker saga with the divisive Last Jedi last year, the filmmaker is going to explore fresh horizons with his next projects in a galaxy far, far away. Before Episode VIII hit theaters, Lucasfilm announced plans for Johnson developing an all-new series of movies that's completely separate from what's come before. While the Johnson Trilogy will not feature familiar characters (in stark contrast from the other Disney era Star Wars films), it will try to capture the spirit of the franchise.

Bergman was interviewed by From the Grapevine, where he discussed his involvement in the Star Wars franchise. When queried about the release strategy for the upcoming trilogy, Bergman provided a vague window:

I can’t tell you because we don’t know yet. Maybe in two years; it’s just in the early stages.

Johnson has made it clear he wants to plot out the trajectory of this narrative before forging ahead, so if he's in the "early stages" right now, he probably has a ways to go before getting to that point. Two years from now is 2020, and it's unclear if there will even be a Star Wars movie hitting theaters then. Lucasfilm has Indiana Jones 5 on the docket for 2020, and that could be their big tentpole for that year, before Star Wars returns in 2021 or later. This probably all depends on how quickly Johnson's trilogy comes together. Lucasfilm has yet to announce any Star Wars release dates beyond Episode IX, so it looks like they're playing the waiting game before coming out with another slate. They've also pegged David Benioff & D.B. Weiss to create another new Star Wars series, but the pair is currently focused on the final season of Game of Thrones.

While details on Johnson's trilogy are scarce, it's encouraging Bergman is talking about it in the present tense. In the wake of Solo's unprecedented box office failure, many expect there to be shakeups at Lucasfilm. The studio does need to re-evaluate a few things as they analyze the situation, but there's no reason to outright cancel something they so proudly announced months ago. That would arguably make matters worse for Star Wars as they look to rebound from their lone bump in the road (at least, commercially speaking). Johnson's handling of the property on Last Jedi was polarizing, but he understands the lore and themes of the series, so hopefully he'll do great work with this new trilogy.